Drain closures in bathtubs assume a variety of designs, but normally include a stopper element that is manually moved upwardly and downwardly to assume open and closed positions, respectively. The manual movement of the drain closure means is sometimes an inconvenience to elderly people or those with some physical infirmity.
Solenoid activated valves and the like are common in a number of environments, but they have not been successfully adapted to the drain closures of bathtubs.
It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide a solenoid actuated bathtub drain closure.
A further object of this invention is to provide a solenoid activated bathtub drain closure which can be easily and quickly installed in the bathtub environment to facilitate the opening and closing of a bathtub drain closure.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a solenoid activated bath drain closure which is simple in construction, economical to build and install, and trouble free in its operation.
These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
A solenoid activated bathtub drain closure is associated with the bathtub having a bottom with a drain opening therein. A vertically movable drain stopper is mounted over the drain opening. A drain pipe is connected to the drain opening and is conventionally positioned below the drain opening.
A solenoid having a movable plunger is located outside the drain pipe and is preferably mounted on the drain pipe.
Linkage is secured to the plunger and extends from the plunger into the drain pipe and terminates at an inner end underneath the drain opening. The linkage is so configured that when the plunger is moved by the solenoid from a first position to a second position, the inner end of the linkage will engage the stopper and raise it with respect to the drain opening to permit fluid in the bathtub to flow by gravity through the drain opening into the drain pipe. When the plunger moves to a second position, the stopper drops to its original position by gravity and closes the drain opening.